


Everchase

by Xycuro



Series: Fratt Week #2 & #3 [1]
Category: Daredevil (Comics), Marvel, Punisher (Comics)
Genre: AU, Canon-Typical Violence, Comicverse, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Horror Elements, Idiots in Love, M/M, Mentions of other characters - Freeform, Monster Boyfriends, One Shot, fratt week #2, mostly earth 616 elements, the magnus archives entities
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:07:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24449341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xycuro/pseuds/Xycuro
Summary: Rituals were horrible creations that were fabricated by other creations.No one wanted to be a part of an Entity's ritual.Entities. Rituals. Avatars.Matt never had to worry about them.He thought he was strong enough to never be consumed by one, or serve one. It was a common occurrence that happened to many vigilantes, superheroes, and villains. Only a few people knew about them, but only if they were avatars themselves or they just happen to know one. Their reasoning and their purpose could easily bait an Entity to take over. But surely not him. After all, he's Daredevil: man without fear. He wouldn't be afraid of some manifestations that represented phobias. He wouldn't fall prey to them, unlike someone he once knew before.How wrong he had been then…
Relationships: Frank Castle/Matt Murdock
Series: Fratt Week #2 & #3 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2127306
Comments: 10
Kudos: 31
Collections: Fratt Week





	Everchase

**Author's Note:**

> Alright here's my fic for frattweek. Sorry if it felt rushed, that's because it was. I've been working on a huge ass fratt fic for months and all my motivation has been primarily on that project so this was just my break from it lol. I think I incorporated all the themes for the week but idk.
> 
> Disclaimer:
> 
> I've only taken the Entities, avatars, and rituals from TMA and warped them in my interpretation for the sake of the story/comic universe. The TMA plot and characters do not exist here and won't be mentioned either. For those who haven't listen to the podcast, you don't need any prior knowledge in understanding this fic, it's going to be explained throughout the story so no worries there.

  
  
  
Rituals were horrible creations that were fabricated by other creations.  
No one wanted to be a part of an Entity's ritual. 

  
  


Entities. Rituals. Avatars.  
  


Matt never had to worry about them. 

He thought he was strong enough to never be consumed by one, or serve one. It was a common occurrence that happened to many vigilantes, superheroes, and villains. Only a few people knew about them, but only if they were avatars themselves or they just happen to know one. Their reasoning and purpose could easily bait an Entity to take over. But surely not him. After all, he's Daredevil: the man without fear. He wouldn't be afraid of some manifestations that represented phobias. He wouldn't fall prey to them, unlike someone he once knew before. 

How wrong he had been then…

  
  


Matt couldn't exactly pinpoint when it all started. Everything trailed back to the beginning of his nights as Daredevil in hopes that it will reveal an answer. However, Matt knew that something must've changed in the middle of it. Either way, something told him that it was too late to back out of it. He remembered the nights where he felt his blood boil under his skin as if it begged him to take down any creature that crossed his radar. He didn't understand it. He originally thought he had imagined it or something, but as the nights went by, his senses became more acute towards the elements of the supernatural. 

At first, Matt thought he'd been focusing too much on the darker ends of the city. He knew that many mystic-based heroes went after the supernatural. The Midnight Sons were a great example of that (plus a few of them were avatars as well). Maybe he felt like he should hunt down vampires and demons just for the hell of it. It would help keep the peace and clean the streets from any evil beyond human capacity. 

Then the beliefs slowly turned into instincts. 

It constantly clawed at his insides, bit at his throat to force nothing but growls, hisses, and even wicked laughter whenever he approached a criminal. Matt realized it had gotten worse over time and tried everything he could to refrain himself from its call.

The keyword in this was _tried_. 

He tried and failed. 

It weakened him as if it were punishing him for going against its will. Matt didn't want to succumb to the entity, he wanted to find a way of escaping it. He tried, and he failed. The Devil within welcomed the entity in open arms without his permission. The woods outside the city cried for him as it had a swarm of monsters, and eventually, Matt drowned in a sea of wild instincts. 

For the life of him, Matt couldn't remember those moments. Were they even moments? Days? Weeks? Months? His memory never gave him a clear answer. 

All Matt could remember was waking up in his bed, body sore and aching, curled up, and feeling like he had been hit by a truck. Foggy was there next to him while his handheld... a knife? "Wh... Foggy?" Matt asked in confusion as his headache continued to mess with his senses. "What happened…?"

"Matt... it's you," Foggy said in such relief Matt swore he sounded like he was about to break down and cry. "Holy shit, it's you—you're okay!" The knife was dropped immediately. He didn't expect to be pulled into a hug, especially since Foggy's worry distracted him. It distracted him enough from his aching sides, the sound of a third heartbeat in the room, and the smell of gunpowder across the bed. "Kirsten it's okay, you can put the gun down!" 

"Not a chance, Foggy," Kirsten said defensively as she aimed the gun towards Matt. "Not until we make sure that's really Matt." 

"It's him, look at him! He's back to normal!"

He didn't understand what was going on at the time, but the only thing his memory served was nothing but emptiness. 

A quick argument went through before Kirsten lowered the gun thanks to Foggy's persuasion. She slowly approached the two with hidden concern, but she mostly went over towards Foggy's side, as if he needed protection from Matt. He didn't understand why she threatened him with a gun or why she was so protective. He was so, very lost. Of course, until they filled him in with what happened. 

"We almost lost you…" Foggy whispered. Matt can never forget how _terrified_ he sounded when he said that. 

"To what?" 

Kirsten spoke up when Foggy couldn't find his voice, and Matt could practically sense her pity.  
  


"The Hunt." 

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Ever since the revelation, Matt had to constantly keep himself under control. Foggy and Kirsten filled him in on what happened to him as best as they could, even when the details were hard to recall. They told him about the woods outside of the city, how Matt had run off there to hunt, and how he had changed completely. 

"Another uh… 'Hunter', came in and helped you," Foggy explained. "They helped you come back from uh, whatever weird ritual The Hunt does and Jesus Matt... you didn't look like yourself at all." 

Matt could tell Foggy was afraid to continue. He feared the worst when he noticed how his friend trailed off at the last sentence, but he needed to know one thing. 

"Did I hurt anyone?" Matt asked.  
  


_Did I kill anyone?_ He meant to say.   
  


"No! I'm pretty sure what you attacked was some weird looking demon monster-things," Foggy answered quickly. "But Kirsten and I were afraid that you would... we didn't think you'd recognize us when you were in _that_ form." 

Foggy never quite explained what Matt's "Hunter form" looked like for well, obvious reasons, but all he could say was that he appeared more bestial. In all honesty, Matt didn't really want to know, especially since he began to make sure it never happened again. 

"Who was the other Hunter? Do you know?" Matt asked.

"No... but something about them seemed really familiar for some reason." 

So it was left off with that.   
  


Matt wondered idly who the other Hunter was, but he eventually shifted his focus on more important things. Even with this new knowledge, he continued his nights as Daredevil, only with the extra caution on going too far in his abilities. The increased strength, stealth, and speed came in handy for patrols and stopping illegal operations. However, Matt wasn't too fond of the idea of claws piercing out of his gloves whenever he had been backed in a corner and forced to fight. Or the growth of his canines turned to fangs or any feral sounds he made when in a battle. That was something he still needed a level of control over, along with ceasing the urge to rip out some monster's throat. 

The news of Daredevil being an avatar of the Hunt managed to reach out to a few of the other New York vigilantes. Matt guessed that Doctor Strange was responsible for the information since he was an avatar of The Beholding. "All-seeing and all-knowing" became a real pain in the ass for anyone that has ever interacted with the sorcerer. Even Spider-Man confronted him, and he wasn't a fan of being lectured by an avatar of The Web. Especially when all he could hear were possibly hundreds of tiny spiders crawling around the web-slinger's proximity. 

Matt made it clear to stay away from both him and Strange for now and reach out to those he can trust.   
  


"So... a Hunter?" 

The quiet night created a cool breeze when Moon Knight had met up with him up on a rooftop. Matt sensed the temperature drop along with the change of atmosphere when a fog surrounded them, even though it mostly covered the hooded vigilante. Marc Spector became an avatar of The Lonely sometime after he became Moon Knight. Something about Khonshu and the Entity creating some sort of deal to maintain Marc for themselves was the explanation for how that happened, although Marc leaned more towards Khonshu. 

"Yeah, I'm stuck with that title now," Matt sighed as he moved away from the fog. "I'm keeping it under control if that's what you're concerned with. I'm making sure I don't go out and hunt down any creatures." 

Marc gave out a low whistle. "You'll starve yourself if you ignore it for too long."

"I'm making sure I don't go too far with it."

"Knowing you? You probably won't," Marc shrugged. "It's not like it's telling you to hunt down people, right?" 

Matt shook his head. "No, nothing like that; it's constantly trying to get me to go berserk and hunt down monsters. I don't want to repeat whatever I did before."

Marc hummed softly as he took what was said into consideration. "I think you can handle it just fine... although maybe you might need to find someone who can give you some advice. Someone who could relate."

_Another Hunter._

"Is there anyone in the Midnight Sons group that may help?" Matt asked. 

Matt didn't know all the members of said group, but he knew a few that were already avatars before the group developed, who warped their abilities for good intentions. A good majority of avatar superheroes used their abilities to feed their respectful Entities and also keep the innocent out of it while still maintaining their sanity. The Ghost Rider brothers typically followed The Desolation whether they wanted to or not, and he was sure Blade was an avatar, he just didn't know which Entity. Doctor Strange was already out of the question, and Elsa Bloodstone was probably immune to Entities.

Within the fog came Marc's hesitation, who clearly had an idea on who to suggest, he just didn't want to say it. 

"Anyone in mind?" Matt pressed. 

"Well... there's _one_ person I could think of, and you do know him," Marc responded softly. "But I'm not sure you would want his help, especially since your philosophy and his own don't exactly mix nicely." 

Wait…  
  


Is he suggesting…  
  


_Oh._

Matt almost winced. "Anyone _else?"_

"Don't know any other Hunter beside him," Marc lifted his hands almost in defeat. "So take it or leave it. Or maybe ask Spider-Man if he knows anybody."

"No thanks, I rather not. Is Blade not a Hunter?"

"Nope, he's an avatar of The Dark."

Well, now he knows.

Matt groaned lightly. "Does it really have to be _him?"_

"Like I said: I don't know anyone else, that's all I got."

At least Marc helped him out for the most part. 

The two of them lounged around in silence once the conversation had been dropped. When Matt announced that he had to go, Marc simply gave him a small wave before he disappeared into the fog. It was a common trait for avatars of The Lonely to do so whenever they deemed it necessary. 

However, Marc going off into The Lonely was the least of Matt's problems.  
  


The biggest problem was that Matt would have to go find the Punisher just for Hunter's guidance. And that was something he did _not_ want to do.

When Frank Castle first started as the Punisher, Matt did everything he could to stop him and knock some sense into his thick skull. He had been concerned over the fact that Frank would've been an easy target for The Slaughter to take in and consume. After all, The Slaughter always dealt with nothing but war and brutal, senseless violence. It was everything that Frank was, especially when he had declared plenty of times that war never left him. That alone gave Matt enough motivation to stop him, but even throughout their fights, Frank never succumbed to The Slaughter. 

Instead, he became another avatar to The Hunt. 

Even when his family had been avenged and he had taken out the ones that gave out the order, Frank continued his path in being the Punisher. Marc had mentioned a couple of times that Frank would join up with the Midnight Sons and help them during their missions. He would provide back up with extra ammunition and had even taken out a few demons and vampires alongside them. Now that Matt thought about it, it would make sense for Frank to be a Hunter as well. He's known him long enough to deviate him away from the idea of being an avatar for The Slaughter. 

Still, going to Frank was considered his last resort option in this case.   
  


Matt can ignore the hunger for a little longer. 

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


The fatigue wasn't the worst side effect he's ever experienced, but it was definitely the most annoying.   
  


It hadn't been noticeable at first glance due to how well Matt kept it hidden. He pushed forward and ignored it for a while both during the day and after hours. It didn't bother him so much in the beginning, until the days progressed further and he had to use most of his energy during work. Foggy and Kirsten had definitely noticed when they gave him worrying glances in their office. Matt would wave it off as nothing until it became so apparent, Foggy would cut him off before he even said a single excuse.

"What's going on with you? Are you sick?" Foggy asked before he lowered his voice a bit. "Is this a... y'know, an avatar thing?"

"I'm fine, I'm just tired is all."

"You're looking a bit more than just tired," Kirsten spoke up. "I can see the bags under your eyes behind the glasses. Are you sure you're feeling alright, Matt?" 

Matt nodded as he tried to shake off his weakened state. "Yes, I'm perfectly fine! If I start feeling a bit under the weather I can easily call it in for today." 

But Foggy didn't accept that as an answer. "Maybe you should call it in right now. It's okay to go home if you're feeling sick, buddy. And if it has something to do with you-know-what then…"

"It does, but it's not a big deal." Shit, why did he confirm that?

"Matt, it's okay, just go home and rest up."

"It's not that easy," Matt almost hissed. "Sleep isn't going to help me with this. I just have to..." _Find help_ , he didn't say. He didn't _want_ to say, because the only person that can help probably doesn't want anything to do with him. And the only other option he had was to give in, which was something he _didn't_ want to do. 

"Well, we can't let it get worse, now can we?" Kirsten said as she already grabbed Matt's jacket from the coat hanger and passed it over. "Just go take a break and if you gotta figure something out then take the time you need to do so."

Work didn't provide anything of a distraction, and Matt didn't want his friends to continue to worry about him throughout the day, so he took the opportunity and left. He promised to keep in touch with them as he headed home as he reviewed the options. Maybe he didn't need that much help after all. Matt had gone through weeks without hunting down monsters so maybe he can handle chasing a couple of them off the streets. It should be easy. 

When nightfall came in, Matt had planned on taking down a weapons dealer's meeting at the lower ends of the city in a few empty warehouses. Throughout the trip, his body constantly ached, but not out of soreness. It was the frustration that pricked his skin while he felt his blood heat up again. Now wasn't the time to turn around and hunt down a demon or two. These criminals had been going on for too long in smuggling illegal carbine rifles and Matt had to put a stop to them no matter what, weakened or not. 

During the ambush, the increased stealth worked in his favor as he took down a few of the guards. A few of them managed to get a good look at the mask before they began to cry out in fear. The claws and fangs were out, Matt could tell. At this rate, he didn't care about that as it worked better at making them afraid. But with the shouting came the rest of the group that aimed their rifles towards the Devil. The mission could've gone a lot better if Matt didn't waste his time in savoring those screams filled with terror. 

_"Shoot it!"_

In one swift motion, Matt dodged the first shots before he hid behind one of the pillars of the warehouse. As the shots continued to fire, Matt was about to grab one of his batons before another heartbeat entered the area. Suddenly, a few of the smugglers began to drop to the floor as they cried out in agony. The attention that was once focused on Matt had turned around to face the other intruder. 

The other Hunter. 

_God damn it, not now._ Matt quickly ran across the area before he leaped up a few crates. From the steady heartbeat came the familiar smell of gunpowder and coffee. The Punisher had made his appearance as he stomped through the group without hesitation. Matt noticed a couple of other criminals used the crates as a cover, which allowed him to dive down and knock them off their feet. A snarl escaped him when one of them managed to slice at his kevlar suit, and the second Matt turned around, the scumbag immediately dropped it. "Oh fuck!" He gasped out before Matt kicked him in the jaw. He had to restrain the urge to unclench his fists just to use his claws. 

_"Take cover!"_

A smoke grenade went through to cover the entire area in a thick fog. Footsteps scrambled all over the place and police sirens were heard not too far from the warehouse. Matt made sure to knock out a few of them before he tried to go after the ones escaping. Until a hand grabbed him from behind and tried to drag him away from the attack. Immediately, Matt retaliated and tried to fight them off. 

"Red, it's me. _Relax."_

Of course, Frank had to be the one to grab him. 

"Let me go," Matt growled as he used all his strength to push him off. Frank didn't waiver from it, having to counter it back with his own strength as he dragged Matt away from the warehouse. By the time they were further away from the location, the smoke subsided and the police had already entered the warehouse to arrest the remaining groups. 

Matt immediately pushed the ex-marine off of him, already baring his teeth. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"You're welcome, by the way," Frank answered curtly as he folded his arms. "You would've been filled with bullets if I didn't step in." 

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not," Frank growled back. He slowly approached him. Nothing was threatening in his stance, only simple curiosity. Matt stilled for a moment when Frank circled him briefly. "You starving yourself, Red? I know you're a Hunter now, and I can tell that you're in real need of a good adrenaline rush from the way you fought. I shouldn't have dragged you away that easily and you know it."

"I couldn't ignore the mission," Matt retorted. "Those assholes would continue to smuggle in illegal weapons unless I put a stop to it."

"Yeah, and now they know you're just like me," Frank huffed. "Sharp claws and fangs with glowing yellow eyes aren't the typical Daredevil look."   
  


Wait, his eyes were yellow now? 

_"Glowing?"_

"Yeah, they're glowing alright. I can see them through the mask lenses clearly."   
  


Great, just what he needed.

Frank continued when Matt didn't say anything else. "You're not approaching this right; you gotta feed the instinct before it eats away at you."

"I don't want to go too far," Matt replied quickly. "I don't want to turn into a beast again and never come back from it." 

"You won't because I can help you maintain and control it." 

"And why are you so concerned over it?" Matt asked, almost defensively. "I thought I was the least of your problems."

"Trust me, Red, starving yourself from denying the Entity you serve isn't the way to go. I wouldn't wish that upon anyone," Frank answered as he inspected Matt once more. The implication that Frank would rather put someone out of their misery instead of suffering penance from an Entity was almost staggering to think about. "Just be glad I'm actually giving a shit now. I was in your shoes once with this, so the least you could do is be grateful and follow me."

"Where are we going?"

"We're gonna go hunt down some ghouls over at the docks. Blade and Spector told me about them running around there lately, eating people and shit like that," Frank explained. He then began walking over to his truck. "You can either come with me or go back to starving yourself, your choice." 

It wasn't much of a choice, and Matt didn't have any other options left. The fatigue would only worsen over time and Frank seemed to understand his dilemma, so he went with the first option and followed him.   
  


The ghoul hunt didn't turn out so bad after all. 

The promise of monsters was fulfilled when Matt got to go all out on them. The needed adrenaline rush finally came through and the exhaustion he had felt earlier disappeared completely. Frank was next to him throughout their hunt when they fought off the creatures with only their bare hands. Their weapons were only used as bait to draw them out before they caught the ghouls in their hold and tore them apart. Throughout the entire ordeal, Frank kept an eye on Matt and whispered advice as they stalked their prey. 

"Don't use your teeth too much, it'll ache later. Plus, ghoul flesh doesn't taste great."

"Make sure you keep your breathing steady."

"Keep your focus on what's happening now. Listen to your instincts and your common sense at the same time and find a balance."

It was actually quite helpful and it made Matt's concentration have an easier time understanding everything. The smell of monster blood was interesting, to say the least, but the sound of them screaming for mercy satisfied his instincts completely. It was exhilarating. 

The two of them cleaned up after themselves when they were finished with their hunt. Frank passed him a bottle of water only to wash the stains off their hands. Each corpse disappeared after a few minutes of rotting away, which left the docks with no evidence of them ever being there. 

Matt flexed his fingers as he felt his nails change from claws to short nails again. He had gotten the hang of controlling them and now could easily use them whenever he pleased. While Frank relaxed and tried to ease his rapid pulse, Matt began to notice how much the other man stood out in comparison to other avatars he's encountered. 

It was easy to recognize those who served the Entities. How they present themselves both physically and mentally was how Matt could decipher whether they were regular people or avatars. Sure, superpowered beings made it a lot more complicated, but all it took was an educated guess and a few behavioral cues to pinpoint on what they really are. Stick taught him various ways of identifying Entity avatars and had constantly berated him about it if he didn't get it right. Both the Chaste and the Hand didn't follow Entities due to the main focus on their own personal goals. It would've made things so much easier if they did, but Stick would punish him for ever thinking that way. 

_"I want a warrior, not a monster,"_ Stick had told him before. _"Entities should be the least of your concerns, so you better remember the warning signs, kid. You don't ever want to get consumed by them."_

It was too late for that now.   
  


Matt curled his fingers so that his claws would pierce out from the gloves again now that the fingertips had slits. They were longer than Frank's from the way they sunk deeper in the ghouls' skins. He wondered if Frank remembered the exact moment he was consumed by The Hunt. No matter how hard he tried, Matt still couldn't pinpoint the exact moment where he had fallen into its grasp. 

"You did well out there," Frank simply said as a way to start up a conversation. "It's one less monster attack for the Midnight Sons to deal with that's for sure."

"Is that why you work with them?" Matt asked. "Marc told me that you would sometimes join in on their missions and help them out."

Frank shrugged. "Sometimes I do; if they need help, then they would either call me or I somehow get roped into it. Most of the time it's me getting stuck with their shit, especially if I'm with Spector or Blaze." 

"That makes sense, especially when it comes to Moon Knight."

He heard a small laugh escape, Frank. "Yeah, it sure does." 

After another pause, Matt decided to ask another question. "Have you ever felt the urge to run off into the woods outside town?"

Across from him, Frank almost froze at the question, as if what Matt had asked was something forbidden. He didn't know what to make out of a response like that, but he figured that Frank must've noticed by now. The other man knew about Matt's heightened senses, so now he was trying to recollect himself and come up with an answer. 

"I have before, but I... I don't think about it too much."

"What does it mean?"

"It means you should stay away from it," Frank said. "That's the perfect place for the Entity to thrive in, and one way to completely lose yourself." 

Matt didn't say anything else after that. 

He had gotten his answer about the woods, and that was to never go near it. 

No matter how alluring it tried to be. 

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Every so often, Frank would appear during a patrol, whether it was to ask for an extra hand in taking down a few monsters or just to talk. 

Matt had gotten used to Frank's presence whenever he went out. They made a few compromises here and there but a few notable changes came through the more they took down gangs and mobsters. At first, he thought that maybe it was another compromise. Surely, once they went their separate ways Frank can go to another part of town and create his own missions there without the Devil berating him about it. However, throughout the time they worked together, Matt had noticed the change completely, and Frank could tell as well. 

"There's no reason to try and make it into a hunt with regular people," Matt said once when they were out in the subways. "Is that why you don't waste most of your bullets on them?" 

"You noticed that, huh?" 

"At this point, I should've brought it up a lot earlier." 

Frank sighed softly as they continued along the path. "Monsters gotta be more specific, y'know? Not saying that people can't be monsters, but the Entity wants more than just metaphors."

"So only literal monsters huh?"

"Yeah, unless you want to lose your humanity and be a monster yourself," Frank added sullenly. 

"Has it happened before? To other Hunters?" 

"I've heard stories; Hunters hunting other avatars and other Hunters. If they go too far it turns into a cycle. They'll only lose themselves further to the point of no return." 

Frank's words had a heavyweight to them when he spoke them, and Matt practically took them to heart. That's probably what scared the two of them the most: losing their humanity. A part of it was sacrificed to the Entity they serve and now they're doing everything they can to hold onto the remains. Maybe that's why they're both here. 

"Is that why we work together so easily now?" Matt asked cautiously. "Just so that we won't hunt each other down if worse comes to show?"

"It's better this way," Frank confirmed. "Better you and I watch each other's backs than one of us losing it. I'm not a fan of the idea of putting you down if that ever happened, Red. I'm sure you feel the same way if I went down that path."

Matt couldn't agree with him more. 

He was glad that there was an unspoken promise the two of them understood.

  
  
  


Their collaboration had sparked up a few locations for criminals and villains to take an opportunity. They wanted to face up against Daredevil and the Punisher so that they can kill two birds with one stone and make their lives a lot easier. 

It happened once when Jester tried to create an ambush around the lower parts of Manhattan. The clown-themed villain was a part of The Stranger, an Entity that revolved around mannequins, taking people's skins, and anything circus themed. It was perfect for him, but not so much for the two vigilantes to deal with. Matt had heard of the ambush plan from Ben Urich when he had told him about the case files of stolen mannequins and missing people. The case files alone gave an awful feeling for Matt to suspect that something was wrong. Frank had interjected and claimed it was Jester's way of performing a ritual for The Stranger, but there wasn't a solid location they could pin it on. Frank insisted on luring Jester to their location for better results, but Matt refused to take the risk and thought it was better to hunt him down instead. So here they were, attacking live mannequins and chasing down Jester as the other avatar gave out a maniacal laugh, who made it clear that he was entertained by their frustrations.   
  


"I can't stand this asshole," Frank snarled as he slashed one of the mannequins with his claws. 

"He's stalling," Matt said after he knocked a few of them off of him. "I can still track him from here, come on! We can't let him get away."

"If we had just gone with my plan, we wouldn't be dealing with this shit now would we?" Frank was pissed. Pissed about the plan gone wrong, pissed about fighting mannequins, and was definitely pissed at Matt. He knew that once this was done there was going to be an argument.

"Well, now we have to deal with this crap so focus! We have to go after Jester before he does any more damage." 

"These mannequins are going to chase us down."

"Let them, we can still outrun them."

They managed to chase Jester throughout the town, following his trail and down near an empty part of an alleyway before he made his escape again. "It's not me you should worry about…" the clown said with an empty grin as he snapped his fingers. The mannequins crawled out from each corner and broke a few windows just to jump down and face them. Jester gave out another laugh with the idea that he has the two of them cornered. Matt bared his fangs again as he already readied himself for another attack. Frank was already next to him with the same idea, and soon enough, it all turned into a messy alleyway brawl. 

Even when a few mannequins were taken down, a couple more appeared. By the time the two of them ripped apart the group, the atmosphere around them changed, this time the air became dense. As if there were a…

_Fog._

Behind Jester came the fog, which engulfed him before he was grabbed by Moon Knight, who restrained him from escaping. "What the hell is this?!" He shrieked before he was pinned to the ground, knocking him out. Thank God. 

"I can handle this," the voice that came across from them echoed. Moon Knight picked up the clown villain before the fog turned more opaque. "You two need to get going before these mannequins chase you down again." 

"A warning would've been great!" Frank called out before the fog surrounded the entire area. Matt took that as their cue to leave, so he shoved Frank over to the other side. "We need to go, now!" 

By the time the fog cleared, the two of them had already escaped the area. Since Jester was taken out of the picture, the mannequins had nowhere else to go but to either hide or drop dead. Matt knew there were a few cuts and scrapes he had gotten throughout the fight. There were some on Frank as well, who tried to hide it from him. Matt motioned to follow him back to his apartment to patch themselves up along with to stay low in case any rogue mannequins decided to follow them. 

Once they entered the apartment, Matt went over to grab the first aid kit while Frank sulked in the corner. Even though the silence between them was uncomfortable, something told Matt that they still had enough energy for six more missions. "Here, I can still smell blood on you. You can patch yourself up or I can help."  
  


"I'm fine," Frank grunted, wiping the dirt off his jacket when he had a tussle with one mannequin. "I don't really feel any serious pain so you don't gotta pry at it." The other man was still upset over the mission. 

"You don't have to be like that, you know," Matt said roughly as he set the kit down. "It didn't turn out so great but at least Marc came in and helped us."

"And what would happen if he didn't, huh?" Frank questioned as his hands balled up into fists. "We would be screwed either way."

"He wouldn't leave us to suffer through all of it, you know that." Great, now Matt was starting to get pissed. 

"Yeah, like you know a lot of shit," Frank growled as he stalked towards him. "Shit would've gone differently if we had just followed my god damn plan." 

"Or it would've gone to hell like this one, what's the difference?" Matt challenged hastily. If Frank wanted a fight just to blow off some steam then fine, he'll get one.

"You're saying my plan wouldn't work out?" 

"I'm saying you're _reckless._ "

"Look who's talking…"  
  


Before they could say anything else, Matt immediately shoved Frank back while he snarled at him. The ex-marine already took the hint as he went in and threw the first punch. Matt blocked it easily as he shoved his knee towards Frank's gut to bring him down. More growls escaped them both as it turned into another brawl, this time with claws and teeth. The cuts from the previous fight were ignored now that they dressed with new ones. During their fight, the background seemed to fade away once all Matt could hear was their own heavy breathing and the sound of something feral escape from their throats. The rush of adrenaline felt so addictive once they decided to fight each other, Matt wanted to keep going. Burn down the anger, let the Devil out. 

He pinned Frank against the wall once Matt made a quick slash against his chin. They bare their teeth at each other while their hackles rose, and Matt couldn't help but enjoy this more than their usual haunts. When their growling started to quiet down, there was still the intense patience of waiting for the next move. Despite Matt having the upper hand, he still waited for Frank to do something. They're both at each other's throats, caught in a corner. It's anyone's move. 

What he didn't expect was for Frank to lean forward immediately and went for his lips. Initially, Matt thought he wanted to take a bite at his face in a bloody fashion. Instead, it turned into a heated kiss that made him desperately want more. His breath hitched at first from the reaction, but Matt didn't pull away from it. He grabbed Frank by the nape and pulled him closer, eager to taste more of him. Their sharp teeth pierced slightly into their lips as they went rough in kissing. A growl slipped out from one of them as they slid down to the floor, grabbing at their faces for their claws to run lightly. Soon, the growling turned into languid moans, and their nipping slowly turned into something slow and passionate. The anger that Matt felt earlier had slipped away once he was on the floor with Frank on top of him. He can tell Frank's frustration had disappeared as well when the other man's fingers brushed through his hair and scratched his scalp—Jesus, that felt _good._

Matt could feel his and Frank's teeth go back to normal as they continued their make-out session. His own hands went under Frank's shirt to run his claws over tender skin. As he did so, they began to shrink back down to regular nails, and Matt only felt pure bliss throughout this distraction. Eventually, they slowly broke apart from the kiss to catch their breaths and the two of them went quiet. Frank stared at him, completely speechless while Matt was still underneath him, as if he had turned to stone. 

"Uhh... alright then," Frank finally said, sounding a lot calmer than before even though his tone wavered slightly. "That just happened…"

"Yeah... it uh, sure did," Matt cleared his throat.

Frank slowly got off him, moving away towards the wall again. Matt sat up from his position as he rubbed the back of his neck. They sat there in awkward silence as they processed on what the hell had just happened between them. Matt tried to figure out what to say throughout all of this, but Frank seemed to understand the idea and spoke up. "So... did you plan for that to happen?"

Matt blinked. "Um, not really, but did you... I don't know, did you _want_ that to happen?"

"I don't know…"  
  


Right. It just... happened.   
  


"Well, I guess we can just move past this then," Matt suggested. 

"... Sure."

With that, Frank got up from his spot and walked over to the abandoned first aid kit that sat in the living room. "Come on, let's clean up." And just like that, they proceeded to patch each other up as if their little make-out session didn't happen. Matt went with it as he wiped away the dried blood and placed a few bandages. He didn't know what to say about all of this, and he's sure Frank had no clue either. It wasn't as awkward as he had thought it would be, but it wasn't completely comfortable to think about either.

Afterward, Frank thanked him and left the apartment through the roof window access with a simple "See ya around, Red."   
  


Matt was left alone with the taste of Frank's blood stained on his lips. 

Maybe it was best to pretend it never happened. 

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Pretending that one night ever happened was harder than Matt thought it would be. 

Especially when he woke up on his bed next to Frank, who had been in the middle of getting up. After their "fight" the two of them continued working together as if it never happened. It went along just fine and just as Matt suspected, they went back to their routine in no time. Until one night they exhausted themselves completely with lack of sleep and binging themselves on countless monster hunts. Frank was tired and Matt had offered his bed so that he wouldn't have to sleep on the couch. At some point, Matt must've fallen asleep because now the two of them were curled up against each other sharing warmth. 

"Sorry Red, m'just gettin' up." 

"Huh…?" Damn, he was still tired. Matt groaned softly as he felt the bed shift. "What time is it?"

"It's almost 6 AM. Just go back to sleep." 

Matt didn't have the energy to argue with Frank so he plopped his head back down against the pillow. It was too early to do anything other than getting comfortable on the mattress and appreciate the leftover warmth. He went right back to sleep without complaint and eventually woke up again when the smell of eggs and sausage entered the room. Right, Frank was still here apparently. And now he's cooking up breakfast in the kitchen with food that definitely didn't come from Matt's fridge originally. He turned to his side to tap his alarm clock. The automated voice told him it was 10:56 AM, almost 11 AM.   
  


After he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, Matt stretched lightly before he slowly got up from bed, heading towards the kitchen. The one thing he's glad that stayed the same after he became a Hunter was being actually hungry for regular food. The other type of hunger he dealt with primarily was more of a need to perform the act of hunting rather than eating prey. 

He was slightly surprised that Frank decided to stay and make breakfast for the two of them. It was oddly domestic, and Matt didn't really know what to do other than greet him and wait for the omelet to be ready. "You actually went to the fresh market and bought groceries." Matt simply stated as he got some juice and acknowledge it just by touching the new additions to his fridge. Frank snorted in response as he sat at the table. "Of course I did; you didn't have anything in your fridge or your pantries, it was sad." 

After that morning, it slowly became another addition to their routine. Whenever they were out late from both a mission and a monster hunt, they would crash at one of their places and make breakfast the next morning. It was painfully domestic to the point where Matt had gotten used to it. He decided to ask Frank at one point why they started to do this, only receiving the simple answer of: "It's one way to keep our humanity safe." 

He didn't ask again. 

He understood that answer very well. 

  
  


When Matt had thought it was a one-time thing, it happened again. 

They had dealt with an avatar of The Flesh, and fighting against multiple limbs with gaping mouths was not a pastime Matt particularly enjoyed. Being cornered and stripped of his batons was infuriating for him to deal with, and Frank had other ideas with his own weapons. Even with bullets, the other creature didn't back down and it only made the situation worse. They figured it was best to make the creature suffer from their own claws, which worked out better than bullets (which was weird but hey, they didn't complain.). Matt was still furious with how the mission turned out. They went to Frank's apartment since it was nearby and he was still pissed off. Even when Frank tried to calm him down, he refused to back down. He kept barking back with grievances and insults and tried to challenge Frank into another fight.

What he didn't expect from their cool-down was Frank closing in on his space, his hand slowly going over to Matt's shoulder. It grounded him briefly, and Matt felt his own snarls simmer down into nothing when Frank's hand traveled up to the side of his face. The fact that _Frank_ out of all people had the sudden ability to calm him down was perplexing enough, but Matt didn't snap at it. Instead, he savored the touch and leaned in. 

"What are we doing?" Matt asked, now in a state of tranquility he never recognized before. 

Frank sighed as his claws began to recede. "Hell if I know, but it's working out for us."

"This happened before," Matt said as he only took in Frank's presence. "You're alright with that? You're okay with this happening again?" 

"I never saw it as a problem." 

Matt took that answer as a 'yes' and kissed him, satisfied when the other man reciprocated and was just as eager as he was. Once they had broken down their walls, they figured out what they wanted out of this. They had to let go of everything just for a little while.   
  
  
  
  


"Is it our hunts?"   
  


Frank asked the second a siren went by from below them. Matt almost slipped into a light doze until the city became alive again with street sounds and cars bustling through. "What about our hunts?"

"No, I'm asking if it's our hunts that gets us... like this," Frank specified as his hand ran along Matt's side over the scratches he made earlier. They were both covered in claw markings and love bites from sex and they had gotten almost a bit out of control. Then again, it wasn't something to complain about. 

Matt pondered at the idea for a moment. As much as that could be true, they had been working together longer than Matt had initially predicted. It didn't seem like the case, at least, the main one. "I don't think it's that. I think maybe we just... work really well together. Somewhere along the line, we started trusting each other, so it's probably that." 

"Enough to calm each other down?"

"Apparently," Matt smiled as he turned to face him. "Don't know how the hell that works out but, it works either way." 

Frank chuckled as he moved closer and wrapped an arm around him. "I'm not gonna question it. It's definitely not some weird Hunter thing so there's that." 

Matt was glad about that too. He didn't know how he would feel if it was, but it was completely unheard of for that to be instinctual. Plus, their Hunter sides mainly focused on feeding the Entity. He doesn't believe their Entity would care about something like this. 

This was something that came out of their own free will. 

The rain came through to fill in the peace as they relaxed from the sound. Matt had thought Frank had fallen asleep due to his slow and steady breathing, but then he lifted his head slightly. "You told me before you had been careful." 

Matt furrowed his brows. "Careful?"

"Yeah, you'd been careful of not becoming an avatar." 

"I had been," Matt said softly. "But I wasn't careful enough I guess."

"That's the thing, Red. No matter how careful you can be, once these Entities see you as a perfect fit, it's hard to escape them."

"Did you try to be careful?"

"I did, once," Frank said. "It wasn't just from The Hunt though."

"Then... from what?" 

Matt had thought he had overstepped himself when he asked that. Frank went still in his position as if he was about to hesitate. However, the other man composed himself and kept going. 

"A lot of them; it wasn't just The Hunt that had its interest in me," Frank answered. "The Slaughter, The End, hell I think The Dark and The Lonely probably had their sights on me too. Enough to make The Beholding jealous."

Matt frowned at that answer, especially when it filled him with a sense of dread. "How did you know they were paying attention to you?"

"I learned about them when I was in the marines," Frank explained slowly. "There were books about them that a few of the soldiers had lying around. Some of them talked about them too, and none of them particularly liked the idea of becoming an avatar. Ever since then, I kept my eye on any changes that didn't feel right, and any strange behaviors from either side. When I got back home... I knew a few of them were watching me, so I did everything I could to ignore them. I only focused on my family and nothing else."

Matt knew what happened afterward as his stomach dropped again from the memory. Frank only wanted to be a good husband and father, and he did everything he could to ignore those Entities. However, that was taken away from him. Their deaths changed Frank and took his resistance, and for that, all the Entities had their chance in luring the Punisher into their grasp.   
  


Out of all of them, The Hunt won the prize.   
  


"I can still kinda remember how it first felt when it consumed me," Frank continued. "I wasn't even fighting against people. They were undead shifters that wanted a fight, so I gave them one, and tore them in half. I didn't feel any rage—none of that. Just the need to keep going."

If there was one thing Matt can appreciate about Frank, it was his pure honesty. At this point, Frank knew that Matt could hear his heartbeat and figure out if he was lying or not. But Frank rarely ever lied, and where they were right now, there was no need to hide the truth. 

Matt moved his hand over to Frank's chest. He wanted to ask one more thing.  
  


"Do you think there's a way to go back? To free ourselves from the Entity?" 

_To be completely human again._

A small chuckle came out of Frank, humorless and somber at the tone. He went to grasp Matt's hand and held it tight, as if it was the only thing to anchor him from everything.

"I think this is permanent, Red; we're both stuck like this until death or until the Entity gives out. Even then, I highly doubt it won't take us down with it." 

It was the one thing Matt feared for once. He had this question stuck in his head even when he would pray silently for an answer. Neither the Entity nor God truly gave him one.   
  


Now that he had an answer, there was no need to be afraid anymore. 

One way or another, he had to accept the truth. 

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Everything felt wrong. 

Horribly wrong.   
  


When a wave of demons decided to overtake the city, Matt knew that it all would break apart again. Foggy held onto his arm while they rushed back to his loft with the hopes that Matt would follow without further question. Unfortunately, the vice grip he had on his arm wasn't enough to silence the chanting that echoed in his head. He knew that tonight was a perfect opportunity for The Hunt to abuse, and knowing that some poor, idiotic soul had tried to summon these demons for a show was already on Frank's hit-list. Avatars from all across the city were already on the case with the infestation, and Foggy tried to get Matt away from it all. He knew exactly what would happen if he didn't. 

Even then, Matt didn't move when his best friend kept tugging at his arm. 

"Matt, we need to get out of here," Foggy said desperately. "You said the Midnight Sons were already taking care of this, you don't have to get involved."

They were behind Foggy's apartment complex and he wanted to take the back entrance to be safe. Even from here, Matt could still hear the cries of demons and the howling of something familiar. Alongside the howling was a powerful heartbeat that broke through the harsh winds. 

_Frank._

"Foggy, I need you to let go of me," Matt said as he gritted his teeth. He can feel his skin go tight as his blood flared up again. A few demons were approaching fast and the howling of his Entity began to sing louder. It filled his head with the same mantra over and over again:  
  


_The woods the woods the woods the woods_ — _Go there, hunt kill prey hunt free prey the woods go there. GO THERE!_

At this rate, Matt knew how this was going to end, so there was no point in fighting it. 

"Matt, _don't…"_ Foggy whispered as he quickly released his grasp. "There's a weird, creepy red outline of a wolf skull on the side of your face and I've seen that weird creepy red outline before when you changed last time! Don't do this!"

Matt took a deep breath to fill his lungs with air as his heart pounded rapidly. He can't back away from this now once he allows The Hunt to take over, so the best thing he can do is get as far away from the city as possible and into the woods. Besides, this is what he _wanted._ He _wanted_ to go into the woods, lose control, and become the Hunter again. As much as he tried to hold it back with all the willpower he had, he knew it was all over once there was a wave of creatures just begging to be prey. A clawed hand went over to take off his glasses, folding them carefully as he tucked them into his pocket. "I have to do this Foggy," Matt said as a growl began to mark his voice. "Get inside and don't come out until it's safe." 

Foggy stood there when fear overtook him. 

"Matt... your eyes aren't yellow anymore—they're _red._ "   
  


As a cold feeling began to cover his body and feed his instincts, Matt only gave Foggy one final warning: 

_"Then_ **_run._** _"  
  
_

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Never before has he felt more alive than this moment. 

The absolute rush and raw power he exerted when he ran through the grass fields and climbed trees only to jump down and strike his prey. The way the ground worked with him as he stalked within the shadows. The way the wind would hit against his body and give an odd yet comforting sensation against his skull and other exposed bones. His claws were sharp enough to pierce through even the toughest skins of larger demons, and ripping apart the smaller demons with the various rows of teeth was so rewarding. 

Why did he prevent this? The Hunt gave him everything he ever needed and in return, he gave it what it desired. 

Matt felt like he could take on anything at this point. 

They all came from one area within the forest that smelled of smoke, and each trail that led to it became more clear as he continued running towards it. His Entity alerted him earlier that it was in fact, another avatar. An opposing avatar with similar qualities, yet all they radiated was anger that only had the desire for destruction with no heartbeat. To create a ritual only with the dark arts as a way of having pseudo soldiers for their cause. 

_The Slaughter._

**_Prey._** _  
_

The other avatar chanted over the wails of demons near a large fire and commanded them to attack the city. The idea of the city felt nothing more than a distant memory to Matt. A part of him tried to cling onto it, but the rest of him ignored it, only focusing on taking the other avatar down.

An outside noise went through across from the area, moving in similar strokes and getting closer to the enemy. Matt decided to hone in further on the other creature after he realized his scent was vastly different than the demons that surrounded them, and how there was that powerful heartbeat again. He knew who this monster was, right? 

In one swift motion, the chanting went from a slow and ominous melody to an abrupt and pained yell. An array of roars and cries went through as the other creature went in with a quick snap of their jaws to kill the avatar. Matt moved closer to the scene and made himself present to the other, his own jaws open so that he could inhale and taste the air. While he did so, the other Hunter's scent and heartbeat bombarded his mind with memories. 

_I know you._

_You're a Hunter and I know you._

The other Hunter snarled at him while the demons began to scatter from side to side. The one that summoned them was no longer there to guide them, so the only choice they had left was to flee and return from once they came. Their fear only became fodder to them as the other Hunter ran past Matt to go after the leftovers. 

From there, it turned into a chase. Or maybe it was a race? A competition? He couldn't figure it out himself, but the rush came in and he followed the other Hunter. He wanted to hunt, but at the same time, he wanted answers. Answers that his Entity barely provided him. 

They chased each other through various paths and thickets that only led back to disintegrating demon corpses. Each one fell one after the other if they hadn't been careful, leaving anything behind but brimstone and smoke. Matt didn't want to focus on what was happening around him. He only wanted to focus on the Hunter before him, who he eventually caught up in the midst of it all and tackled him to the ground. He knew this Hunter somehow...and the other Hunter didn't show any sign of recognition when he wrestled with Matt with angry howls. Their long claws scratched at their skins while their skull-like snouts snapped angrily to try and bite the other. 

_"I know you,"_ Matt growled as he kicked the other Hunter off. The creature laid still against the grass with claws digging deep into the dirt. All he heard now were the guttural sounds that were emitted from their throats against the harsh foliage and low crickets. All of his focus was on this Hunter, this area, it was all too familiar. 

They've been here before.   
  


It was a painful deja vu that neither Matt nor the other Hunter could ignore.   
  


It hit them both completely into a halt. 

They slowly started to calm down. Their hostility began to fade away once they started to realize what was happening.   
  


Frank. 

_That's Frank._ Matt thought as he closed his maw. _And I'm…_

_"I know you…"_ Frank repeated across from him, standing from the grass to walk slowly towards him. _"We've been here before, haven't we?"_

He slowly met him halfway, knelt just in case Frank would change his mind and retaliate. Instead, Frank's knees hit the grass and Matt could tell the other Hunter was staring at him. They were both being passive. 

Now he remembered everything clearly. 

The first time he shifted. The first time he ran through the woods. The first time The Hunt spoke to him in a way that comforted him. 

The other Hunter that had helped him get back into society was Frank. 

_"Frank…"_ Matt spoke out loud as he prompted the other to move closer again. _"We were here once. You were there with me."_

They fought at first, not having to recognize each other. Somewhere along the line, Frank's humanity gave him a sense of memory, but Matt was still stuck in the Hunter's mind. Now they both came out of it completely, and Matt remembered again. 

Claws came over his skull, only for hands to hold him tenderly. Matt leaned into the touch, and he mirrored the same action to feel Frank and try to hold onto the image of his bestial form. They held each other after a few minutes, ignoring the pleas of their Entity to only ground themselves back to reality. Matt felt like if they let go, then their minds would scatter again and only be commanded by The Hunt. They didn't want that at all. They've done their job in taking down an avatar of The Slaughter, ruined their ritual, and hunted every leftover demon. Earlier he thought the woods would be a permanent home, but now he wanted... he wanted…  
  


To go back. 

  
  


_"Let's go back,"_ he said. 

Frank didn't move from his spot. 

_"Please."_

_"We could stay here, Red,"_ Frank suggested. 

As much as the idea was wonderful, Matt thought about Hell's Kitchen, about Foggy, Kirsten, and Marc waiting back home, about his job and responsibilities. He didn't want to abandon them again. 

_"Or you can come back with me,"_ Matt purred, still waiting for Frank to move before The Hunt grabbed their souls again. It would be so easy to give up their humanity and stay in the woods as wild Hunters serving one sole cause, but despite the Entity's whispers, that was not their purpose. _"I don't want to forget you again."_

Frank slowly began to move again and they both guided themselves up to their feet.   
  


Ignoring The Hunt's threats, they simply left the area, away from the woods, away from the prey, away from the Entity and towards the familiar shadows of the city once more. 

  
  
  
  
  


The morning sun washed over and greeted them with a warmth that went through the glass. Matt felt silk sheets underneath him when he woke up on his side, and just like before, he felt like absolute shit. The only difference was that someone was next to him feeling the same thing.   
  


"You awake?" 

Matt turned to lie on his back while his radar tried to figure out the day. Next to him, Frank didn't bother moving a muscle while he was still on his side. They were back at his apartment, in his bed with the lingering smell of ash and grass dew in the air. Last night flooded back into his head with the memories of them in full bestial form, escaping the woods and ignoring The Hunt. No wonder they felt like they just got a hangover, this was just their bodies stressed and probably an unjust punishment from the Entity. 

"Yeah, I'm awake now," Matt answered with a groan. "And I feel like sleeping for the rest of the day. You?" 

Frank chuckled next to him, finally moving when he gave a quick stretch. The crackles from his back didn't have to tell Matt twice about how sore their muscles must've been from hours of running and hunting. "That sounds like a great idea to me, but I think maybe we should eat something before our stomachs wake us up." 

"Five more minutes?" 

"Sure."

When five minutes passed, they both helped each other out of bed and into the kitchen despite the lingering soreness. After breakfast was made, they talked about what happened last night and the events beforehand that led them to here.   
  


"We can't escape The Hunt forever, you know," Frank said softly when they had finished their meal and washed their plates. "What happened last night can easily happen again." 

"No, but at least we have an anchor to keep our humanity in tack," Matt said as he went behind Frank and wrapped his arms around his waist. "Isn't that enough?" 

"You saying I'm your anchor, Red?" There goes Frank's teasing again.

Matt smiled either way. "Sure if you want to put it that way. Besides, even if we forget, I think we can still find each other out of the cycle." 

Frank laughed softly as he grabbed Matt's hand again, this time in a way of reassurance. 

  
  


"Glad the feeling's mutual."

  
  



End file.
